Give Stress the Boot in 2019

For me, 2018 has been a year of stress. I'm not going to sugar coat it, there have been times when I've felt like giving up. That everything is just too overwhelming to bear. 2018 has been a hard slog to get to the point where I am today. In a career that I absolutely love, a home that I own 100% and a slightly more positive me. 2019 is going to be my year. I can feel it.

5 Things You Can Do To Help A Friend Stop Drinking

Do you have a friend who is suffering from alcoholism? Watching them struggle with an alcohol use disorder can be depressing. The last thing you would want is to see your friend’s life getting destroyed by the alcohol. However, getting your friend to sober up and quit drinking is not an easy task. This is because most alcoholics tend to become emotionally attached to the alcohol and this leads to dependency. Here are 5 things you can do to help a friend stop drinking.

How to Gain Balance in Your Life

Do you ever feel like you're spinning too many plates? You put the children to bed and you feel somewhat defeated, there's still so much to do but not enough hours in the day? This is how I have felt, on and off since becoming a parent and I have come to realise it is all about balance. We have so many things that we have to balance in our lives, family, work, leisure, household chores, caring for others, children's commitments, caring for ourselves and the list goes on. “Finding balance” in our lives is so important, yet so hard, that there are mountains of books and articles about it. So what's the magic solution?

Take care of yourself this Autumn

Autumn is a busy time for any parent. Summer consisted of long days filled with errands, activities and days out, but in Autumn we seem to have even more jobs but even less time. It’s important that you look after yourself during these hectic periods, getting run down will only leave you more vulnerable to the sickness bugs, illnesses and viruses that are abundant this time of year. But if you’re on a tight schedule you might be wondering how you can possibly set aside any time to administer a little self-care. Heading out and treating yourself; a new pair of shoes, choose a top designer handbag, will give you an instant pick me up, but what about the long term?

Dealing with the Darker Days

It's this time of year where the days are shorter, darker and let's be honest, the weather kind of sucks. Whilst for some this does not cause an issue, many struggle to deal with these darker days which can even lead to affecting your mental health. This phenomenon even has a name, Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD). So as the clocks change, you may not be thinking about that extra hour in bed, let's face it if you have kids it ain't happening anyway, instead, you may be thinking about how you can get through these next few months without getting down.

Why a Clean and Tidy Home is Good for your Mental Health

If you're anything like me, then you may have Hinch fever. I have been following Mrs Hinch since she was at 12,000 followers and now she's at over a million. Which is slightly mind-blowing! Her humour an simple cleaning tips seem to motivate the usually unmotivated, including me. She definitely has some magic about her. 

With my anxiety levels being pretty high at the moment, usual everyday tasks always seem to overwhelm me and I really struggle to keep on top of things but keeping your home cleaning your home is so important for your health. Sloane and Sloane tub chairs put together this rather shocking infographic outlining just how important it is to have a clean and tidy home.  

How to Balance Work and Family Life as a Mum

Being a mother is one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs in life and most will admit that trying to balance their family life with their work life is extremely hard. There are now more mothers in the work force than ever before and you will need to focus on planning and organisation to achieve a healthy balance. This is something that you will always continuously be working on but by following our top tips you will be able to get closer to reaching an ideal work and family life balance as a mother.

30

In September I turned 30. I'm sure I could write a whole blog post dedicated to how I'm supposed to feel. I'm sure I could have come up with some amusing analogies and motivational quips about entering this decade but, in all honesty, I feel slightly meh.

Feeling confident in your own skin

Battling with your own body image is something that every woman experiences at some point in their lives. Whether it was when you were a teen and your body began to change or when you became a mother - we've all experienced insecurities in some way. How you overcome these are down to every individual but just know that everyone can feel confident in their own skin, no matter their body "types".

Health in Your 30s

Yes. Next month I turn thirty and kiss goodbye to my twenties. Last year the thought of this terrified me but after going through one of the hardest year's of my life - I'm happy to say goodbye and say hello to a brand new decade. You definitely won't find me doing a Rachel on my thirtieth (is this anyone else's favourite episode?).

Thirty is a landmark for many but comes with so many negative connotations.  Youth gone. End of wrinkle-free skin and of course the pressure to be 'where you think you should be' at the age of 30 really starts to kick in. I think for, me, I pretty much have it together when it comes to ticking all the boxes. However I really want to improve my health, especially now I am turning 30.

Wear the Bikini, Be Kind & a Bit More WitWitWoo

Two weeks ago I bought a bikini. You may be thinking, no big deal, well I hadn't bought a bikini since I was in my early 20's, pre-children and I know many of you probably haven't had the confidence to buy one since becoming a mum too.

For me, my relationship with my body has pretty much been swaying from "My body is amazing for what it's done" to "I could cry every time I look in the mirror". A woman's relationship with her body is an incredibly personal one and one that has brought me so much confliction and sadness over the years.

The Healing Benefits Of A Gong Bath Session

Positioned as the new yoga, gong baths are the latest health craze. Yoga studios in London are quickly adding Gong bath sessions to their timetable, and now the rest of the UK is catching up.

Six ways to reset your life

You may be thinking that resetting your life sounds a little extreme. I'm not talking about starting a new career, moving to a new area or ending relationships - although if these are things you feel you need, then do them. When I say resetting your life I actually mean, reshifting your mindset and your priorities.

This is something quite often do. I need to shake things up from time to time. I often get overwhelmed easily and this year has been an incredibly tough one, which I now feel I'm coming through the other side. I feel a reset is needed and I thought it would make for good reading if you're feeling a little swamped and unhappy with your current mindset.

I've Got the Reading Bug Back

Yes, after two years, yes two, I finally have the reading bug back. Now, of course, I read every day, articles online, my favourite blogs but I haven't actually picked up a book properly in so long. This week I have almost completed two books! I'm not sure what's spurred it one but I'm feeling a little bit grateful that I've managed to get back into the habit.

Body Confidence & Being a Mum

When I was pregnant with both my children I loved having a bump, I embraced the changes that happened to my body and was proud of what my body was doing. That feeling soon left. Engorged breasts whilst feeding to deflated bags of skin where my once perky boobs once sat. A saggy ledge sitting over my c-section scar and the extra baby weight that I just can't shift. To say I'm confident about my body would be a lie.

I would love to be two stone lighter, perkier boobs and a flat stomach and to be honest when I look in the mirror I can become very down about my appearance. I'm always determined that I will love my body and treat it the way it deserves to be treated, instead of spiralling into a pity party and eating for the sake of eating. Sound familiar? I know I'm not alone, I know we all perhaps have areas of our bodies we dislike but for me, I want to be out of that cycle of negativity and I want, no, I need to love my body. I deserve that.  

Feeling Free

If you follow me on social media then you would have seen some very exciting news, I have finally passed my driving test. Yes, at almost 30 I have finally ticked that off my 'to do' list and boy does it feel good. I guess for most of my readers you have experienced this event, the moment your examiner says "I'm pleased to tell you, you've passed" and you experience a real sense of pride and achievement and of course, it's your ticket for freedom. Most probably had that moment in their late teens/early 20's but for me, I waited until the age of 29. 12 years after I had my first driving lesson and 12 years of having to rely on others as an adult.

You may be wondering why it has taken me so long and in hindsight, I'm kind of wondering that too.

My dream of a decluttered home

Spring may be on the horizon, even if we're expecting weather in the form of the beast from the east. My thoughts are already turned to de-cluttering my home. I'm so tired of being surrounded by stuff. Most of said "stuff" is not needed and just gathering dust, in all honesty, I could do with hiring a skip and having a mass sort out! Main areas that are needing organisation are;

-the downstairs cupboard
-books
-DVDs (I can't actually remember the last time I watched anything on a DVD!)
-clothes & shoes
-toys

February is Kindness Month

In my workplace, random acts of kindness are common practice. Over the years I have found bottles of wine, flowers, chocolates little notes- just because. It's incredibly uplifting when these things happen and even receiving a thank you card from students make my day. It's something I'm guilty of not doing enough and something I must do more of.

Magic Mondays

If you follow me on social media then each Monday for the past few weeks you will have seen me refer to Monday as my Magic Monday and let me tell you, they've changed my life for the better. Yup, I love Mondays.

Hello 2018

It's 2018 and I thought it was about time I got back into writing. I've had almost a whole month off, something which wasn't planned but I'm actually quite thankful for. 2017 was a complete mix bag for me, hugely successful workwise but filled with many personal challenges. I'm actually quite thankful to have left it behind.